Toxic and Roost
by 2mindsRhere
Summary: Collection of passing fancies of an unpopular fandom that has gained my affections.
1. Ninja skills and little girls

Ninja skills and little girls

She was accustomed to all things that came her way. Her father had trained her as early as she could remember, and he was relentless. She trained until her arms felt like ten-ton weights, her bones on the verge of snapping, her knuckles and heels bloodied and battered and her body on the verge of shutting itself down completely. Despite her toothpick-thin appearance she could easily snap the neck of a man who stood at six foot and lift three times her weight. Her physical prowess wasn't the only thing to marvel at. Her upbringing had forced her to think on the fly.

By her eighth birthday she could outwit the majority of the local high school's Chess Club and out read the entire graduating junior class. Her superiors praised her as a genius and her peers both respected and envied her abilities. It first started out as simple exercises, cardboard cut-outs, archery targets and sand-stuffed dummies. However, it was plain to see that her skills were far beyond her years. She began sparring at ten and became reigning close-combat champ of her father's school a year later; the only person she failed to defeat was her father.

Her father also introduced her to the complex art of medicine and toxicology. She began absorbing the vast amount of knowledge involving mixing antidotes, creating deadly weapons, and identifying which species (plant or animal) contained the venom or chemical that could nullify or strengthen the effect of an elixir. She learned how to milk snakes and spiders, identify and prepare leaves, berries, and roots, and create and conceal various blades and darts coated in her creations, nasty bits that could leave an assailant paralyzed or left for dead in a matter of minutes.

Add espionage, stealth, trap setting, and camouflage skills to the rest of the list and you have the world's youngest ninja prodigy ever to walk-and her name is Janine.


	2. Swordsmanship and little boys

Swordsmanship and little boys

He was his father's son without a doubt. He would train, unyielding, from morning to night and always wake up at the crack of dawn. At first he resented it, sometimes refusing point-blank to participate in the exercises his father rigorously practiced. His father acquiesced and allowed his son to stay in bed. The boy left his defiant personality as soon as the front door slammed and always shouted at his father, "Wait, wait daddy!" and his father complied; they would then jog for five miles around the forest and mountains that surrounded their expansive property. After the warm-ups they would proceed with sparring, beating makeshift bamboo staffs and swords until someone conceded defeat or the weapons broke, and the son would always wind up losing and his father would pick him up and dust him off and then tell him what he did wrong and correct his postures and moves.

Archery was also another part of practice as well as setting snares and traps, the little boy's mind was filled with various information ranging from different types of bows to the trajectory and flight path of an arrow. By age nine he could hit a bull's-eye ten out of ten times and completely incapacitate a target without killing it. His father also taught him falconry. He loved the winged wonders almost as much as his father and by age ten could outhunt and outfox almost any creature, human or otherwise.

The boy loved his father to the point of wanting to become the very image of him when he got older and the boy's father would say something along the lines of, "Son, be anything you want to be, but be careful, you only have one life" and the boy would nod, pretending to understand and then stay up all night trying to figure out what his parent meant.

When he was thirteen his father bade his family a farewell and went travelling across the world leaving his son to take up the father's profession, the boy was determined to live up to and surpass his father's name. The boy's name, Falkner.


	3. Pokemon then Pokemon now Pokemon forever

Pokemon then, Pokemon now, Pokemon forever

One would expect the two to hit a wall as soon as they said "Hi". She was a ninja, he was a birdkeeper and as far as conversations were concerned they were always arguing; sports, Pokemon tactics, ideals and how to effectively run a Gym, and in particular, their fathers and a comparison of superiority. Their conversation had even escalated to a point where the manager of the Celadon Department Store told them to get out and come back when they acted like their ages and assigned ranks as Gym Leaders. This led to their thorough embarrassment and a mutual truce between their bickering, for the most part. A casual bystander would assume that their bickering was the only reason why they interacted in the first place and after that died they would go their separate ways and never see each other, save for the Gym Leader conventions and region conferences held every year. However, that bystander would soon learn they had a lot more in common then he or she would come to think.

As a ninja she had experience with types other than Poison types. She also raised Pokemon that were adaptable, fast, and practical as well as for Pokeathlon competitions and Contests and for show. She had dealt with every type under the sun from Normal to Dragon and also had experience with the Pokemon from the Safari Zone, a childhood favorite that she always visited. Even to this day she drops by Cianwood every now and again just to enjoy the park. He had learned from his father that while Bird Pokemon were the epitome of beauty and grace and power they were also susceptible to many of the other types. As a Gym Leader he felt it his duty to study and learn and be prepared for anything that would dare harm his precious Pokemon. He also learned that the majority of dual-typed Pokemon were Flying-types and the only one undiscovered was a Flying and Fighting type. He began raising different types from Skarmory to Pelliper, Braviary to Honchkrow and even ones that didn't look like birds; Tropius, Gyarados, Crobat, Charizard, even a Dragonite.

On those rare occasions where they did stop and chat it would usually turn to Pokemon, types inside and outside of their specialty as well as Trainer gossip. How awesome a Gyarados was (battling or otherwise), how a Dunsparce looked so quirky, how cool Jasmine's Steelix was and how they wished to one day battle the Kanto-Johto Champion, Red. They even agreed when they conversed about their main types. She agreed that the adrenaline you experience while on the back of a Pidgeot was indescribable, Skarmorys were not only vicious but also practical especially when you had a weapon shortage, and that flappers far outsped gliders despite what Professors said. He agreed that the toxin found in Crobats was adept for quick matches, Arboks were the bane of Bird Pokemon and also a threat towards people as well, and the potency of a Muk varied depending on how filthy the water and its surroundings.

These conversations triggered a spark of friendship between the two and the meetings that were originally so sporadic transformed into almost weekly get togethers that lasted throughout the day. She would take off Monday afternoon and he would take off Saturday morning and they would spend the day chatting about Pokemon, recent challengers, Gym Leader and Trainer gossip and even their Gyms and one day by some unspoken, mutual agreement they had a friendly match. A one-on-one which resulted in half of the Saffron Fighting Dojo being blown to bits and both of them charged with destruction of public property and a hefty fine.


	4. Books can show the heart and soul

Books are the unspoken version of a person's heart and soul

As far back as Janine could remember she had been surrounded by books. Medical textbooks, field guides, history books and maps as well as picture books and magazines. When she was young and wasn't training her father would read her an article or a story or flip through a picture book or field guide with her and quiz her as they looked. She read everything with a voracity that surprised even her father. One acolyte commented, "With her personality and all that energy she has, you would think that reading a book would be the last thing she would do in her free-time."

Even after her and her father's promotions she would still make time to read. She would visit Ecruteak and read about the legends, Olivine, Celadon and Goldenrod were constantly visited by her (or more specifically their libraries were) and she would stay there for as long as she could, even Canalave City in Sinnoh and Nacrene City in Unova were visited every once and awhile. She had surprisingly befriended Lucian an Elite Four member of Sinnoh and Lenora the previous Gym Leader of Nacrene as well as some other notable people of repute. While it was unintentional she still treasured their friendships and made sure she visited them every once and awhile. However, what really caught her attentions were the various works of fiction, particularly fantasy and sci-fi. Her father gently disapproved saying she shouldn't be reading that, she had more important things to do. She couldn't help it; she just loved books too much.

She didn't know he liked to read. In fact she assumed that was the polar opposite of what he did in his spare time. Being known as a pretty boy wind-rider she always thought he would be out in the fields or training some place. So, she was surprised to see Falkner of Violet City sitting in the corner with his nose buried in a book. Using all the stealth she could muster, without looking like a complete weirdo, she crept closer and saw Birdkeeper's Guide to treatment and cleaning of feathers. _'Of course'_ she smirked. Glancing to the rest of the pile she saw a few things that caught her attention; Legends Come to Life: A compilation of the Various Myths and Legends of Regions Beyond, The concepts of aerodynamics, Planet of the Aipoms, and Pokemon Sematary. _'Strange tastes'_ she thought amusedly and snuck off without another sound.

"So, you're a bookworm huh?" she asked lightly as she laid back on the grass. The two had decided to take their meeting to the National Park and both were enjoying the beautiful, cloudless afternoon. He opened an eye lazily, "What?"

She smiled a bit. "You, I saw you at the library. I never pegged you as a bookworm." She laid her hand behind her head and looked at him with amusement and faint curiosity. "Oh, that," he shrugged, "I was just researching was all." She scoffed, "Yeah, cause obviously Pokemon Sematary and The Haunting of the Chateau Macabre are related to Bird Pokemon. Never pegged you for a horror reader either." He sighed, "All right so you found me out." He turned over to face her and sat up, "What about you? You were at the library, so unless you're stalking me, you obviously read too." She thought for a bit." He smirked, "Unless you do stalk me? Never pegged you as a stalker." She glared playfully and stuck her tongue out, "Don't you wish." She gave a pause and continued, "Yeah, I read a bit here and there. My dad had a whole bunch of books lying around when I was a kid, when I got bored I read." She shrugged, "Old habits die hard. And what about you? What's your amazing story on how books became your crack?"

His normally stoic expression softened and, after a moment's pause, pulled out a thick, worn out paperback titled On Altaria's Wings. The jacket showed an Altaria floating among a vast cloudbank with patches of pale sky and shafts of light in between the breaks. "My mom wrote this," he said handing her the book, "she was a wonderful writer." She took the copy and thumbed through it gently until she came to the author's note: I couldn't have done this without my friends, Pokemon, and, most of all, my family. Thank you to my husband who provided me with motivation and my son who provided me with inspiration. She thumbed back to the beginning and read the second page: Thanks to my husband, whose love and support were the tailwind I needed and to my son, Falkner, who is the wind beneath my wings. She flipped the book over and read the back. It was about a daring pilot who flew with his trusted Pokemon in a small plane back when the Great Pokemon War was in its worst years. He was famous for his exploits and flying skills that led his fleet to victory every time, that is, until he lost his Pokemon. She read the entire summary and asked, "Is this an autobiography disguised as fiction?" He shook his head, "My parents aren't that old and my grandparents have no records of anyone serving in the war." She looked at the book jacket again, the author's name was completely torn off. "May I borrow this?" she asked and when he gave a dubious look she gave him her cutest expression and said, "Pleease?" He acquiesed, so long as she never made that face again. She spent the entire night and half of the morning reading the story, and and she was riveted. The plot was magnificent and the scenery and style of writing had her in her chair for so long her Pokemon voluntarily popped out of their PokeBalls to remind her that she still had other obligations.

What really got to her was the main character, a man with a practical, tough-guy attitude who had a set of brains in his head and used that to his advantage. 'If this guy was real,' she thought, 'he would've made a helluva ninja.' Although the character was smart he was also a go-getter and when the odds were stacked against him he would plunge into the storm faster than an Abra could Teleport. Through cunning, cleverness, and courage the man in the novel would take victories left and right with his loyal Swablu by his side. When she got to the part where the Swablu evolved to save the protagonist and his best friend she felt like cheering and when the Altaria hummed a mourning song at the friend's funeral with the Trainer crying by its side she felt like weeping with them. She, a ninja who had taken not only the dreams but sometimes even the lives of Trainers who challenged her, felt like crying. When she neared the end of the novel she was near close to tears. The protagonist had lost his Altaria in a guaranteed suicide mission and had plunged into a state of deep depression. He continued his service to their forces but had lost all the passion and fierceness he originally had, he was nothing more than a husk. Then he had met a woman, they had met when she enlisted in the service. Her voice was what got to him; it was the same beautiful voice as his Altaria. From there it was story of healing wounds and starting anew, and that was the end.

"So, how did you like it?" Falkner asked. They were at National Park again; same beautiful, cloudless day like last time. She had kept the book for two weeks reading and re-reading from cover to back. "Amazing," Janine said immediately, "It was so beautiful and awesome and I can't believe you're related to someone who could write like that!" He smirked a bit and said, "Yeah, I told you she was a wonderful writer." Janine flapped her hand, "That's an understatement; she really knows how to write. You think I could get a signed copy of that book?" The expression that flashed across her friend's face made her regret that statement. "Oh, hey I'm sorry," she started, "Is it a family thing?" He took a deep breath and sighed, hair flipping up, "Not your fault, you didn't know. My mother died a long time ago. Drove my dad near crazy. We got that book "published". An exclusive, literal one-of-a-kind publication in honor of my mother." Janine nodded in understanding and let him have his moment of silence before picking up the conversation again, "My mom died when I was young, too young for me to remember her anyways. My dad used to tell me about her from time to time but nothing too much." She looked at his face carefully before asking, "Do you remember your mom?" He paused and gave her a look that would be the closest thing to sadness she would ever see, "Yeah, I do. She was pretty and nice. She was great with Pokemon too." She nodded and left it at that.

It was nearing sunset when the two decided to part company. She turned toward her friend and said, "Hey, Falkner," He turned. "Our moms were pretty cool weren't they?" He smiled slightly and nodded. "Oh and one more thing..." He raised a brow. "My dad is still cooler than yours!" she laughed and ran as he aimed a rock at her. "Don't kid yourself!" he yelled, "My dad is way cooler than yours will ever be!"

_'He lifted her high above his person, strong arms powered with passion. He felt like God had sent him an angel. An angel with the voice of an Altaria and the beauty that not even a Milotic could match. She laughed joyously and his heart galloped, it was like she was the light that came to purge all the demons and ghosts that had so haunted him these past years. She was the rain that quenched the raging fiery, torments of his heart; the antidote that would cure any poison, ill, or ailment; the breath of fresh air after almost drowning in sorrow. She was his life, love, and laughter and as the sun rose and their faces were greeted by the dawn he knew that his former life had ended and his new life was beginning.' ~ On Altaria's Wings_

XXXX

Author's Comments- **First author's note, geez. This is the fourth chapter and I'm pretty proud of it. I probably won't type something this big again. Reviews of any kind would be appreciated and any grammatical errors pointed out wins you a free cookie. As the pair moniker says it IS **_**fatherly**_**shipping and it seemed to work to my advantage when writing the end to this. If anyone can give me a few suggestions on how to improve that would be wonderful. Peace ~ ATU12 **

**Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, Satoshi Tajiri etc. I am in no way making profit from this.**


	5. Roses for love dropkicks for passion

A rose for love and a drop kick for passion

When one thinks of friendship, happiness and mutual tastes and understanding come to mind. When one thinks of romance, flowers and hand holding, and kissing come to mind. Those two took all that shoved dynamite right in its face and blew it to kingdom come. With them, the majority of their friendship was arguing and lots of it. So much that they were banned from five different stores and prohibited from entering certain places without the consent of the manager himself. Their acolytes wondered why they even bothered to stay in the same room as each other and the gym leaders (the ones who cared anyway) suspected something to the arguing which the two would vehemently deny. When romance was involved the closest thing they achieved was her pinning him to the wall with throwing stars and him calling her a stubborn, dad-obsessed nutcase. Sometimes gym leaders played mediators when they attended the Leader conferences held every few years; Bugsy of Azalea Town and Brock of Pewter City were veteran referees to their disputes. Sometimes it escalated to the point where even their Pokemon would come out of their PokeBalls and settle the argument if there was no third party present. However, despite the inevitable shit storms that came, they were also birds of a feather when it involved family affairs, both had an almost unhealthy amount of pride, and their personalities nearly mirrorred each other. One could almost say they were made for each other; not that they would admit it.

The arguing was finally put on temporary hold when an acolyte on both party's sides suggested a get together of the non-volatile persuasion. In short, both students said, "How about you two just try to get along and give us a break? Ask him/her out on a date." Needless to say both leaders quashed that idea as soon as it was out of their students mouths. "Why?" the students replied, normally they would've been subjected to their teachers chosen form of punishment which would've been anything from running laps to expulsion, but not today. Frankly, if they could get the two to remove the pointed instruments that were lodged up their asses, the two might actually find to enjoy the other's company without constant bickering and perhaps finally give their students a break from the tirades of the opposite person's character. "It's just a date, the only difference from a date and what you guys do is the lack of yelling."

"What do you think?" Falkner asked sitting back in his chair. As a gym leader he was well aware of his current position as well as what it entitled him to and what he must do to maintain the image of both his person and his gym. He was proud (which is what normally led to the arguments to begin with) but not stupid, and once assured of the fact that he would be unable to escape her presence and after a long and serious chain of thoughts (some that could've been considered illegal) he came to the conclusion that the best way to end the hostility was with a friendly overture; after all he had a reputation to keep and he'll be damned if that brat ruined it. "I think that your students know you better than you," was Morty's response and Bugsy nodded in agreement. Falkner scowled, "You can't be serious." Morty shook his head, "Normally, no, but if you guys get into another argument one more time all of us are going to have problems," he leaned forward with a light expression, "Besides give her a chance, she's a pretty sweet kid." Bugsy took the opportunity to say, "She's pretty knowledgeable about Pokemon too, you guys would find a lot to discuss. At least she'll give intelligent conversation." Falkner bowed his head to Bugsy's logic. Nine times out of ten his dates would be preppy, ditzy fan girls that would do nothing more than babble incoherently about little mundane things they found cute. The other one out of ten? They would be snobs, girls that were trying too hard to prove themselves and, only that one time, Whitney of Goldenrod. Either way he soon learned that it was smart to avoid females like that. "Fine, but how do I ask her? You know as soon as it comes out of my mouth she'll either reject me or lose her temper and go ninja and honestly I prefer my body in one piece."

Morty and Bugsy thought for a bit. "Well," Bugsy began, "we could always ask Jasmine, she's pretty close with her and I'm sure she won't gossip to the others." Morty added input, "Or you Bugsy, you two get along pretty well, you could be Falkner's wingman," he smiled at the pun. The kid shook his head, "Nuh-uh, I agree with Falkner, I prefer my body in one piece. What about you? You get along with her just as fine." Morty flinched slightly, "Er...Never mind, Jasmine it is then."

It took three weeks for a response (mainly gym leader duties and League Federation file work) and when Falkner got his reply back from Jasmine, who didn't look too happy to be his messenger bird, he was caught between two conflicting sentiments; the urge to get onto the back of the first flier that came out of his Pokeball, run away and start a new life and the need to screw all dignity and jump up and down like a Hoothoot set on fire. Instead he said, "Time and place?" Jasmine responded with a quiet, "She'll call you." Indeed she did, but not on PokeGear like a normal human being and Falkner had the pleasure of tending to a rather affectionate Crobat as he read the response tied to its leg: I'm free Friday and Sunday night. Place is your choice. Please respond via Crobat. So, with a heavy feeling in his stomach he answered with Sunday night and for her to meet him at Sprout Tower before tying it to the Crobat (who gave an affectionate bite which thankfully didn't break skin) and watched as it soared off the roof and out of sight.

"Remember don't argue," Morty said as Falkner put on a rather nice navy-colored shirt.

"Be polite." Bugsy added handing Falkner a comb in hopes of flattening his normally windswept hair. There was a knock at the door and Jasmine entered with a black-haired, kimono clad girl wearing a gentle look on her face. "Oh, Erika, Jasmine," Morty greeted, raising a hand, "Good to see you." Erika responded with "You as well" before turning to Falkner with a rare expression of sternness, "I hope you don't plan to cause trouble tonight," she said. "I know she can be a bit pugnacious but, be kind." Falkner raised a brow and Erika continued, "You and her, both of you need to be a little less vindictive and a little more patient, you could easily get along with her if you gave her a chance." Falkner felt slightly annoyed. "I would if she would quit being so infuriating," he said, "I don't think I can stand to hear about her dad one more time." Erika smiled slightly and replied, "Before I came to see you I talked to Miss Janine and she said the exact same thing."

Perhaps in the eyes of some the date went rather well regardless of the very end. He met up with his date and presented her with a few roses, courtesy of Erika who said that that was the gentlemanly thing to do, and complimented her (And she didn't look bad at all he thought). Falkner had suggested Violet City for a few reasons; he knew every street corner and back road just in case he needed an escape, his gym was only a hop, skip, and jump away, and he was actually looking forward to showing her his hometown. They had walked for the better part of two hours, they talked and she asked questions about the various buildings and landmarks and he would answer with an almost scholarly knowledge leaving her a bit impressed. Dinner had come and gone and the late afternoon went from bright blue to shocking red-orange and finally to a star-strewn deep navy and both had miraculously avoided any mention of their parents. Both also had a rather radiant aura around them. The lanterns had burned for two hours until finally Janine had prepared to hit the road that led to Goldenrod so she could catch a Magnet Train home and (as if he were possessed by the whimsy fairy) Falkner asked, "Could I have the honor of escorting you?"

Janine raised a brow as she fished out her Train Pass, "Beg pardon?" Falkner repeated, "Can I escort you? To the train station I mean." The ninja girl smiled, "I can take care of myself you know. I am armed." As is to emphasize her point she flicked her wrist and a thin dagger appeared in her hand. Falkner refused to be intimidated, "I know I just want to..."_To what really? _"I just want to." he finished rather lamely. He watched as she thinned her mouth and gave a thoughtful look before breaking into a grin and saying "Why not?" They were almost out of town, talking rather animatedly about gym mechanics, when his escort plan was unceremoniously cut short.

When people visited Violet City the main tourist attractions were Sprout Tower, the old buildings and the Violet City gym. However, for those that took the path leading towards Ecruteak and the National Park there was one more attraction that forced people's attention. At the gate leading out of town was a cleverly disguised hole that almost everyone and their brother had stepped in at one point or another. This little indent in the road had led to several fond memories of people landing on their butts or catching their falls and, as far as anyone knew, had been there since Falkner's father was still running the gym. Residents knew how to avoid it; out-of-towners weren't as lucky and with all the excitement of the evening Falkner completely forgot.

It seemed that the hole was just the punch line in the grand joke made for the universe and fate to have a good chuckle. The two neared the rest stop leading out towards the path, both unaware of the environment. Falkner reflexively stepped over the hole, Janine wasn't so blessed and it happened in the blink of an eye. Falkner saw her stumble and he reached forward at the same time her training reflexes kicked in and she performed a neat little somersault, unaware that Falkner's position had left his entire head and face vulnerable to her foot's arc of descent. With that he was knocked out stone cold by his date's left shoe and promptly dropped like a rock. So, instead of having the honor of escorting his date to the station he had the pleasure of waking up on his gym floor with a bump the size of a Voltorb on his head, a nasty shiner on the right side of his face and him wondering what the hell happened last night.

**XXX**

**Author's Note: Uploaded (wah-hoo) after a rather long time. The ending seems a bit rushed and I am sorry about that but it was difficult trying to get a believable ending. When I first started out with this it was going to be more of a slapstick, funny romance kinda' thing but then again it is a ONE-shot and that would've taken a lot longer. At the end Falkner was supposed to hit on Janine and she would've gotten mad and punched him but then it would've killed his personality and I always thought he was a bit of an uptight, honor-bound serious guy. **


	6. They make excellent matchmakers

They make excellent matchmakers

She always went to the Safari Zone when she was little, escorted by her father when he went to patrol the grounds every so often. She would gape in awe at the herds of Tauros and packs of Nidorino and Nidorina, marvel at the Scyther when they fought over territory, and wonder over the small, crystal clear ponds that sheltered the legendary Dratini and Dragonair. She would assist her father when he patrolled. Even though she was only eight she did everything in her power to help him.

"Remember daughter, they will only hurt you if you hurt them," Koga told her as they wrapped the leg of an injured Nidorino. Janine nodded as she concentrated on cleaning and binding the wound, Koga holding the head of the Pokémon making sure it would not bite or stab.

"Yes, daddy," she would respond while rubbing salve on the leg, tiny face creased with careful concentration making her seem more mature than just eight years. Koga gave a thoughtful pause and said, "Make sure you don't bind it too tight."

She always thought that no one loved Pokémon more than her father. Whenever they found an injured one he would bring it home and he would make some nasty smelling medicine that would have the creature fighting fit in just three days. They even took in abandoned Pokémon and she would nurse them back to health with her and her father's concoctions until they were strong enough to be released. Of course there were times when things weren't as simple. She was bitten and stabbed every once in awhile and she would either cry outright or hold back her tears as her father applied ointment.

He asked every time, "What did you do to it?" and she responded in tiny sobs, "Nothing , honest! I was trying to give it medicine and it just bit me!"

Koga shook his head and said, "Dear daughter, you have to be more empathetic with it." She would respond with a smart, "Wha?"

He elucidated, "Put yourself in its shoes..er...paws, open your heart and imagine what is going on inside that Pokémon's head."

She sniffed and looked at her fresh tourniquet. "Daddy, is there such thing as a bad Pokémon? Has one ever been mean to you?"

Koga sat down and put her on his lap. "No," he replied, "Remember this Janine, there is no such thing as a bad Pokémon. Some may be mischievous and cause trouble, but there is no such thing as a bad Pokémon." He hesitated slightly and then added, "There are only bad people."

She believed him and kept that belief until she was thirteen, when she found out that he had been under the employment of the nefarious Team Rocket. She had the misfortune to discover that he had worked in the upper echelons of the criminal organization along with Sabrina of Saffron and Surge of Vermilion, and that he had been the cause of the murder of a mother Marowak in Lavender Town. Before she could voice her outrage and grief he disappeared leaving her with his Gym and an aching amount of sorrow.

x.X.x

Janine stretched and dismissed her acolytes before closing the Gym for the day; it had been a long one undoubtedly. Seven challengers in the last three hours as well as keeping track of her League Federation paperwork and requests from her employers for freelance work had left her stir crazy and itching to get out of the stuffy walls of her Gym. It had been four years since that fateful day of discovery and her father's disappearance; she had been coping just barely.

"Oh, Ms. Anzu back again?" a volunteer girl greeted as she hand-fed a Psyduck a few berries. The yellow bird gratefully ate, pecking eagerly with its duckbill. Janine smiled behind her face mask.

"Yes, I've come to check on Cubone if that's alright."

The girl nodded and pointed to a corner with a brightly colored rug and small toys. At the center sat a tiny Cubone trying and somewhat succeeding in catching a small little bone club its species always carried. Hearing a familiar voice it shouted, "Cu!Cu!" and ran toward the ninja girl with surprising speed. Janine bent down and picked up the little bone-clad Pokémon giving it a warm look and a pat. "Cu!" the Pokémon replied happily eagerly snuggling into her.

"He's grown so much," Janine commented. The first time she had seen the orphaned Pokémon it was so small she could hold it in the palm of her hand, that had been four years ago. The same time her father had done the irreparable deed. Of course, no one in town knew that the culprit behind the crime was Janine's father, just that it was Team Rocket. She preferred it that way.

Ever since the murder Janine had gone out of her way to visit the little orphaned Pokémon; for reparation at first for her father's sin, later as a kindred spirit who had been separated from its parent, perhaps forever. The Cubone was mistrusting, but then it had been that way towards everybody. Janine had the patience to stick with the little Cubone, coming almost every day to visit and draw it out of its shell. Eventually the Cubone became attached even to the point of crying when Janine had to leave. When this happened she would set the little Pokemon in its cot and sing a small lullaby that her mother (and sometimes her father) used to sing for her when she was young. While her voice wasn't exactly silver-toned it was enough to calm the Cubone down.

"How are you doing today Cubone?" Janine asked meeting the creature's eye with a friendly glance. "Cu! CuCu!" the Cubone responded and gestured to be put down. Janine acquiesced and the Cubone stood in front of her with the airs of an actor about to put on a grand performance.

"Cu!" it cried and twirled its bone club in one paw before tossing it in the air like a baton twirler. Waiting a split second Cubone jumped as high as it could before deftly catching the little instrument in its other paw. "Cu!" it said proudly, tiny chest puffing up with the feeling of succession. Janine clapped and said, "Woah, that was great!" and Cubone wagged its tail. "Cu!CuCu!Cu!" it said and retracted the paw containing the bone club and threw it with all its might, however instead of throwing straight up it missed its mark. Janine's eyes widened and she went backwards Matrix-style as the bone went whizzing past. The young volunteer girl shrieked and ducked shielding the other Pokémon. The bone made its full revolution before returning to the Cubone who caught it skillfully.

The Volunteer House's silence was broken when the girl said, "Ms. Anzu, I-I think that little Cubone just learned Bonemerang."

Janine looked at the Cubone with wide -eyed surprise which melted into optimistic pride. "Cubone," she began. The Cubone looked up with shiny eyes and on the verge of crying; it thought it had done something horrible. "You just learned your first attack!" Janine said happily and picked the bone Pokemon up and nuzzled it, "You are an amazing little Pokemon, you know that?" The Pokémon began shouting "Cu!Cu!Cu!"

x.X.x

"So. what do you think we should have tonight?" Janine asked. At her heels was a small, brown Pokemon with a skull covering its entire head, save the eyes. "Cu!" it replied pointing its bone club at a box on a yellow shelf.

"Fried rice it is then." Janine nodded putting the box of Insta-Rice in the basket. The two of them were in Celadon buying much needed ingredients.

"Chicken, pork, or beef?" she asked and the Cubone repsonded, "Cu. Cu." She agreed to pork.

It had been three weeks since the Bonemerang incident and Janine and the volunteer girl had both agreed that it was best for the Cubone to be adopted as quickly as possible. No one in the volunteer house knew had to train or battle and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Cubone wanted to fight, even going so far as to antagonize the Nidorino that had resided in the place since Mr. Fuji's youth. However, all adoption attempts failed when the Cubone refused to leave with the Trainers that opted to take the little orphan. It either made a scene or refused to get into the Pokeball assigned, sometimes even both. Janine then tried a more indulgent approach; she decided to take the Cubone under her wing. Needless to say, the solution worked. While she didn't use it for Gym matches she still trained it, coaching it in the art of battle with her own Pokemon.

"Oh, Anzu, you're here?" a surprised voice asked, breaking Janine's train of thought. She turned and was greeted with the sight of Violet City's birdmaster.

"Falkner," she said politely, "pleasure to see you again."

Falkner nodded, "You too. Is this your Cubone?" he asked. Cubone looked up with a curious stare.

Janine nodded, "Yes, he's mine. Say hello Cubone."

Cubone walked up to the Bird Keeper and replied with a hesitant, "Cu...cu, cu, cu," and raised it skull-covered snout to sniff at Falkner's trousers. Janine frowned. "Cu!" it said and pawed at the boy's shoe, wanting to be picked up. "Cu!Cu!" Falkner raised a brow and asked for a translation.

Janine smiled slightly behind her mask, "He wants to be carried."

Cubone pawed at the boy's foot again "Cu!" Falkner bent down and allowed the Pokemon to scramble onto his shoulders which reminded Janine of a squirrel scrambling up a tree.

"Cu!Cu!" it cried triumphantly while perching precariously on top of Falkner's hair, like some kind of peculiar, wingless bird in a blue straw nest.

"Oh, he really seems to like you..." Janine said watching carefully lest the thing fall off. "He normally doesn't bode well with strangers at first."

Falkner raised a hand and allowed the Cubone to use it as a climbing post right onto his shoulders.

"In fact that's the happiest I've seen him since Mr. Fuji took him in." Janine nodded and moved toward the other Trainer to extricate her Pokémon from its perch.

"C'mon Cubone we gotta' get home now," she reached forward. Cubone hid behind Falkner's hair and defiantly said, "Cu!" Janine widened her eyes in slight surprise and repeated, "C'mon Cubone."

The Pokemon switched from left shoulder to right and shook its head "Cu! Cu! Cu!Cu!" which most likely meant, "No, I wanna' stay and play with my new friend!" Falkner stifled a laugh and while he could only see her eyes he knew that she was getting frustrated, similar to a mother whose child wants to go one more time on the ride even after its nth time.

"Cu! Cu!" it said and latched onto Falkner's hair just as Janine managed to grab it and pull. Falkner winced, "Easy there, I like my hair attached to my scalp if you don't mind."

Janine apologized and tried again only for the Cubone to grip tighter. After the third attempt, which resulted in a decent amount of Falkner's hair now in the possession of tiny paws, the Cubone deduced that being out in the open was unwise and dove into the back of the bird keeper's jacket.

"Oh crap," Janine exclaimed, now looking a bit harassed. "Er...if you don't mind?" she began.

Falkner nodded and reached back only to find that the Cubone was one step ahead. It had used the inside of the jacket as a kind of climbing wall and had appeared as a moving lump going from Falkner's back to his ribs and finally a bone-white snout poked its way through the collar of the boy's shirt. "Cu!" it exclaimed looking like a content little puppy dog.

"Got ya'!" Janine said managing to snatch the tiny terror out of Falkner's shirt. "Cu..." it said dejectedly, eyes watering slightly.

"Sorry about that," Janine said setting the Pokémon in the grocery basket and motioned for it to stay there, "He's usually so timid, I've never seen him act so affectionately before."

Falkner laughed a bit, "It's cool. He's awfully small, how old is he?" Janine replied "Four years," she hesitated, "He lost his mom and I watched him a bit before adopting him just a few weeks ago."

Falkner nodded, "He's a bit small for four years."

Janine paused again, "He has growing problems, his growth was stunted after a few months so he'll probably remain small even after he evolves." Their conversation lasted for a few minutes and the two were about to part ways when the Cubone took its chance and hopped out of the basket much to Janine's displeasure. She was someone whose training had forced her to keep her composure, never let others know what you're thinking or feeling and always, under any circumstances, remain calm. This Cubone had nearly succeeded in blowing seventeen years' worth of that training sky-high. It didn't make the situation any better when she saw it had the box of Insta-Rice in both paws and offered it to the bird keeper with an expectant look in its eyes. Janine was no slouch.

"No, Cubone," she said already knowing what it was thinking. "Cu!" the Pokémon replied and thrust the box towards the boy once again. Falkner looked on with an expression somewhere between amusement and confusion.

"What is it saying?"

Janine now realized the mess this Cubone had truly caused; she began to think this little, "innocent" orphan wasn't so innocent after all. "He...he's asking if you would like to come over for dinner." she responded, thanking the powers above that she was wearing a ninja mask.

"Cu!" the Pokémon held up the proffered box of rice. Falkner stared down poker-faced and thoughtful. After a few moments of awkward silence he finally said, "Depends, you're not serving chicken are you?"

x.X.x

"So are you switching over to ground types now?" Falkner asked tapping the Cubone's snout. The Cubone responded with a loud retort, making a flock of nearby Pidgey scatter into the sky. The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon bathing everything in a violent shade of orange and pink. The seaside coast bordering Route 15 was reflecting red and gold.

Janine thought and then shook her head. "Honestly it's a long story, kinda' depressing really." She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I hope you're in the mood for fried rice-" she started awkwardly and stopped when she realized that the two of them were piggyback racing towards the Fuschia City skyline. Chuckling under her mask, she sped up shouting about head starts and she'll beat them to the house, receiving enthusiastic and slightly challenging responses.

x.X.x

"Father, why did you do it?" Janine asked, struggling not to let her voice rise. She was kneeling, one knee on the floor, one arm extended so that her knuckles laid flat against the polished wooden floor. Koga was faced away from her, eyes examining the hanging scroll hanging in front of him.

"Daughter, one day you too will serve under my Master, just as you have served under me. Then you will come to realize why I did what I did." Koga responded, his voice as cold and solid as steel. Janine bit her lip, thankful that she was wearing her face mask, and kept her head lowered, gaze fixed on the floor.

_'You liar,' _was all she could think, _'You are not my father, my father would never do something like that, he loves Pokémon. You are an impostor.'_ However, deep down, she knew that this was her father. The man who she idolized, who cared for sick and injured Pokémon, whose gaze held nothing but calm love and affection, was now a criminal.

"Yes, father," came her crisp reply. 

Koga, turned to face her, eyes and facial expression unreadable. Then he nodded, signaling the dismissal from his presence. Janine moved to stand and headed towards the sliding wooden door.

"Janine," his voice stopped her for a moment, "I am proud of you, I know what I have done is questionable but don't think ill of me. It is all for the greater good. Someday you will understand."

"Yes, father," Janine repeated, the response was hollow and lifeless. Just like the Marowak.

'_Daddy? Is there such thing as a bad Pokémon? _

'_No, there is no such thing as a bad Pokémon. Some may be mischievous and cause trouble but there is no such thing as a bad Pokémon….Only bad people.' _

**A/N: Wow, has it been awhile? I'm really sorry for seeming like I've abandoned this thing when I really haven't! (Writer's block can be a real pain) Anyway, this is actually an older fic I started on and never quite finished. I'm still not too happy about the ending but I suppose it beats the alternative…..This sort of goes along the line of the comic Pokémon Adventures, but I left some things out and added others…so pardon some of the inconsistencies if you have read the comic. **

**I do not own Pokémon and am no way making a profit from this. **


End file.
